Slammed (19 page)

He’d done everything she’d asked of him, again with seeming ease. He’d talked to people at the charity organizations with knowledge of their business. He’d charmed the kids from Daytrippers. He’d signed autographs and smiled and talked to long line-ups of people without complaint. He’d modeled Jackson Cole clothes for photographer Jules Stockwood as if he’d been trained to do it, laughing with her about the bachelor party he had planned with Mike and Carlos. And he hadn’t seemed to miss going out and getting drunk or high every night.

She sipped her wine, thinking about all that and what that might mean.

She now watched Dylan seating guests. He led a man and a woman to seats adorned with big tulle bows at the very front, but before they sat, the woman embraced Matt in a tight hug. His mom, no doubt. Then Dylan seated a man and a woman who slightly resembled Corey. Possibly her parents. And then another man and a woman in the seats next to them.

The patio now full, murmurs of the crowd mingled with strains of music, until the music stopped and a hush fell over the crowd. Brooke saw Dylan and Matt looking toward the back of the patio at the entrance from the restaurant, and she turned along with the other guests to see a young woman in a pretty fuchsia dress holding a small bouquet of flowers. That must be Corey’s maid of honor—Matt’s sister? Corey and Matt had only one attendant each.

The music changed to soft piano chords, and the girl gave a beaming smile and started down the makeshift aisle. When she reached the front and stepped to one side, all eyes again turned to the back. Corey appeared in the doorway, wearing a white, knee length slip dress of a heavy silk that skimmed over her slender body, clutching a bouquet of pink gerbera daisies. Rather than a veil, she wore a spray of tiny pink and white orchids pinned in her hair with white ribbons trailing to her shoulder. With a hesitant smile at the guests, she lowered her eyes then started forward to Ingrid Michaelson singing the classic “I Can’t Help Falling In Love With You”.

Brooke hardly knew Corey, but even so, seeing a bride start down the aisle looking that beautiful, lifting her eyes to find her groom and flash him a luminous smile so full of love and happiness, made her heart squeeze. Smiling, she watched with all the other guests as Corey took her place beside her husband-to-be, then handed her bouquet to her bridesmaid. They waited for the song to end, the haunting voice and moving lyrics trailing off into silence.

The ceremony was completely untraditional, officiated by another sister of Matt’s, very personal and meaningful to the couple. They each spoke vows they’d written themselves, bringing tears to Brooke’s eyes when she listened to their heartfelt words about friendship and love and finding the courage to admit their feelings for each other.

She found herself watching Dylan as he too listened to their vows, trying to read the expression on his face as various emotions flickered there. Matt and Corey’s words seemed to have personal meaning for him too, as he dropped his gaze to the stone floor of the patio at one point, lips pressed together, then raised his head again with a determined smile.

She was swiping one corner of her eye with a fingertip when Dylan looked right at her. She smiled and he gave her a small smile in return. Weddings always seemed to arouse a lot of emotions in people.

Following the ceremony, guests rose and mingled while Corey and Matt disappeared into the restaurant for a few minutes. They returned to applause and spoke to their guests, inviting them to move inside for drinks and food.

The meal was informal too, with all kinds of selections set out on the bar in a buffet-style meal. Dylan moved to her side and smiled down at her. “There we go,” he said. “Duty is done. Let’s eat.”

She smiled back at him. Damn he looked good.

They loaded up plates and carried them to the table at the far end of the bar where Matt and Corey sat along with Corey’s maid of honor, who was Matt’s sister Neve, and her date. Dylan introduced Brooke to Neve and Jason.

“That was a lovely ceremony,” Brooke said to Corey and Matt. “Very personal.”

“Thanks.” They exchanged a warm look. “We just want tonight to be fun.”

Brooke watched Corey cast a glance at Dylan that held a hint of worry. Once again, that slight tension vibrated in Dylan’s body where his shoulder pressed against hers and his smile seemed strained. She looked between him and Corey one more time, then caught Corey’s glance at her new husband and the exchange between them.

Acting completely on instinct, she turned to Dylan, leaned into his body and whispered in his ear, “Did I tell you how hot you look in that suit?”

He shifted a little to slide his arm around her and squeeze her waist, lifting his other hand to touch her cheek, smiling into her eyes. “No. The word you used was nice,” he murmured. “Not hot. I’d definitely remember if you said I looked hot.”

“Well you do.” She kissed his jaw and held his gaze for a moment. His rough fingertips on her cheek felt nice.

It was all an act. Well, sort of.

They settled back onto their chairs and resumed eating. “This is so good,” she said, picking up a piece of flatbread topped with cherry tomatoes, arugula and goat cheese drizzled with a balsamic vinaigrette.

“I like the shrimp,” Dylan said. He picked one up. “Try it.”

He fed her a bite of the crisply breaded shrimp. A burst of jalapeño heat warmed her tongue. “Mmm. Spicy.”

“I like things hot,” he said.

She grinned. “Oh, me too.”

His wink made her insides flutter.

She turned back to Matt and Corey, happy to see them watching. “So are you two going away on a honeymoon?”

“Not right away,” Corey said. “This week with the Pro going on is one of our busiest times of the year. Matt will be super busy at the brew pub and I expect increased business at my shop too, with all the people in town. So we’re going to go away for a week later.”

“Yes, I guess this is a busy time.”

“San Amaro’s always busy in the summer, but this is a big event.”

“True. Are those your parents, Corey?” She nodded to the couple she’d noticed on the patio, the woman who resembled her.

“That’s my mom,” Corey said with a smile. “And her boyfriend. And at the next table is my dad and his wife. My parents split up a long time ago.”

Brooke nodded. “You look like her. Beautiful.”

“Aw. Thanks. It’s kind of special having my dad here, since I only recently reconnected with him.”

The three couples chatted through their meal, interrupted frequently by guests stopping to say a few words with Corey and Matt and congratulate them. Almost as many people stopped to greet Dylan and ask about the upcoming competition. Dinner was also interrupted frequently by guests clinking their cutlery against glasses in a demand for the newlyweds to kiss. They laughingly complied.

As she finished eating, Brooke shifted her chair even closer to Dylan so she could lean into him, and he obligingly slid his arm around her shoulders again. His fingers played with her long hair, a sensation that she quite enjoyed.

Matt got up and spoke into a microphone attached to the sound system. “Hey everyone. Corey and I just want to say a few words before we all move out onto the patio for some dancing and more drinks, and some of Corey’s special chocolates.”

A murmur of appreciation rippled through the group. Matt smiled and Corey moved up to stand beside him. He slid his arm around her waist and pulled her closer, and they exchanged a brief, intimate smile.

“We want to keep this really informal, so no long speeches or toasts,” Matt continued. “We wanted to thank all of you for coming and being a part of our day. We especially want to thank folks who came from far away.” He named off a few relatives of his and Corey’s that Brooke didn’t know. “And last but definitely not least, we want to thank my best man, Dylan Schell.”

Brooke felt Dylan’s body tense next to her and she shot him a smile. He looked relaxed and happy, but there was no mistaking the tautness of his muscles and the way his fingers tightened on her waist.

“Many of you know Dylan or know of him, and know that he flew in all the way from Tahiti to come to our wedding. Now, I’d like to say he came just for us.” Matt gave a wry grin. “But the truth is, Dylan’s competing next week in the ASP World Tour event and has a good chance of winning. So he was coming anyway, but we managed to get him here a little early so he could be part of our wedding. Which was really important to both Corey and me, because it’s Dylan we really have to thank for Corey and me ending up together.”

Once more Matt and Corey shared a look, and then they both looked toward Dylan. Dylan shifted in his chair beside Brooke.

“You heard us say in our vows that Corey and I were friends for a long time before we became a couple,” Matt said, speaking to everyone, but his gaze fixed on Dylan. “And that friendship is a really solid basis for our love. And our marriage. But when our feelings for each other started changing, we both needed a little kick in the butt to make us admit that. To ourselves, and to each other. And it was Dylan who gave that to us.” Now he spoke directly to Dylan. “Your courage and willingness to take risks inspired both of us. And your unselfishness is something we’ll never forget.” Matt lifted his glass. “We both love you, and we owe all this to you, man.”

As Corey and Matt touched their glasses together in a toast to Dylan, the wedding guests did the same, murmuring amongst themselves. Brooke turned a little toward Dylan, smiling, but instead of lifting her glass she leaned up and kissed his cheek.

“Wow,” she said. “That was so nice.”

Dylan’s cheek was hot and as she drew back, she saw the color that had washed up into his face. His body nearly vibrated with tension. Was he that embarrassed? He didn’t seem like the type to embarrass easily, but maybe he wasn’t used to such public displays of affection from his friends.

Dylan lifted his own glass toward Matt, still smiling, in acknowledgement of his friend’s words. “Jesus Christ,” he muttered.

“Okay,” Corey now said to their guests. “Let’s go eat chocolate and dance!”

Brooke leaned closer to Dylan again. “Are you embarrassed?”

Dylan cleared his throat. “Fuck yeah. I don’t deserve their thanks.”

She wanted to know what he’d done to get Corey and Matt together, but this didn’t seem the time to ask. As the crowd gradually moved outside, people stopped at their table to greet Dylan and chat with him. Dylan kept his arm around Brooke, sitting there, playing with her hair, nuzzling her ear, whispering things to her about other guests as they passed by.

“We aren’t having cake,” Corey explained as she and Matt eventually made their way back to the table. “Just the chocolates.”

“I saw them on the bar,” Dylan said. “They look amazing.”

“We meant every word of that,” Corey said to him in a low voice, bending beside his chair. She settled a hand on his shoulder and squeezed. “You know we love you.”

Dylan’s mouth tightened and he gave a short nod. “Love you both too, babe.” He pushed back his chair and stood, and enveloped Corey in a big hug then kissed her forehead. He turned to Brooke. “I need to find the restrooms. Be right back.”

She watched him walk through the restaurant.

“I think you embarrassed him,” Brooke said lightly to Corey.

Corey too had followed Dylan with her gaze and she looked at Brooke. “Yeah. We didn’t mean to embarrass him. But we…” She stopped and Brooke sensed her discomfort, a thickening in the air around them. “Well, I’d better go serve those chocolates.” With a bright smile, she turned and headed out toward the patio.

Brooke awaited Dylan’s return. When he dropped into the seat beside her, he seemed more relaxed. He picked up his wine glass and finished what was left, then slid his arm around her again.

“Weddings make me horny,” he whispered in her ear, nuzzling her hair and making her shiver.

She laughed. “Breathing makes you horny.”

“True that.” He turned her face toward him and this time kissed her full on the mouth. And Matt and Corey weren’t even there. She let herself be seduced by his warm mouth, firm yet gentle, teasing her lips apart, his tongue sliding over her bottom lip. “Mmm. Actually it’s you that makes me horny. You taste good.”

“So do you.” She sighed against his mouth. “And smell good. And feel good.” She ran her fingers through his hair. “But we shouldn’t be making out in the middle of a wedding.”

“You’re probably right. Dammit.”

They followed the other guests out onto the patio. The music started again and Matt and Corey began dancing to Colbie Caillat singing “Lucky”.

“The perfect song for them,” Dylan murmured as they watched the couple move to the music, arms around each other.

“They seem really happy.”

“Yeah. They do.” He stood behind Brooke, his arms around her waist, and he kissed the top of her head. She longed to turn and ask him if he was really happy for them, but instead bit her lip.

When the music moved into the next song, she turned in his arms. “Dance?”

He smiled. “Sure.”

They joined Corey and Matt, and she linked her arms around Dylan’s neck as he settled his hands on her waist.

It was all an act. Except for the heat settling low in her core, the ache of her breasts, her hardened nipples brushing against his chest. Except for the curl of desire inside her that was oh so real.

They finished the sexy slow dance and the music changed to a faster tune, so he led her from the dance floor. “Another glass of wine?” he asked.

“Sure.” A nice cold glass of wine was just what she needed.

They strolled to the bar and got drinks, then returned outside. Dylan led her around the corner. The patio was L-shaped with only a few tables on the short side. Nobody was there, and they sat on the padded wicker loveseat and set their drinks on the small table.

The music wasn’t as loud here, the shadows deeper, and he tilted her face up to him one more time. “You’re so beautiful,” he murmured and he kissed her again, a deep, open-mouthed kiss that stole her breath and had her heart pounding. She held onto his shoulders as he pushed her back into the cushions.